The Gift
by airam06
Summary: Smut/Fluff. After Sam and Anna's wedding, Dean surprises Sam with an unexpected gift. Big decisions are made involving Sam and Anna's relationship as well as Dean and Cas. Part three in the Us Against Them trilogy (sequel to Witches and Winchesters). Destiel, Sam/Anna. Rated M for lots of smutty good times. Happiness because the fandom deserves it.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This is the third part of my trilogy, which started with Us Against Them, then moved on to Witches and Winchesters. You should read those first to understand everything happening in this story. Thanks for reading!**

Dean pulled Sam away, out the back door and close to the beehive, allowing for some privacy.

"Dean…when did you…I mean, is this-," Sam continued to stutter, staring at the open gift in his hands.

Dean just smiled as Sam pulled the stack of papers out of the box, holding them in slightly shaking hands. The header across the top of the page gleamed, and Sam's eyes again fell to reading the first line of the letter.

_Dear Mr. Winchester, Columbia University is pleased to inform you of your acceptance into the pre-Law program._

"I didn't even apply," Sam said, finally managing a coherent sentence.

"I know you didn't. I applied for you. I figured Stanford wouldn't want you back, you know, after they saw your face on the news as a dead mass murderer. Consider this your wedding gift," Dean said, clasping his arm onto Sam's shoulder. "I'm serious, Sammy. I want you out of this life. Go have your career and your family. You deserve that."

Sam wrapped Dean in a tight hug, nearly lifting his feet off the ground.

"You're sure? I mean, I can do this later. It's no big deal, really," Sam said.

Cas and Anna came into the backyard, Cas carrying a squirming Pirg in his arms. Pirg licked at every inch he could reach on Cas' hands, and Cas grinned at him before cuddling him closer.

"No, Sam. Cas and I can handle whatever happens. If we need your brains, we can call you. I told you before, I knew you wanted out of this life. They expect you to be at school in August."

"Besides, Sam," Cas continued, handing the puppy to the tallest brother. "You'll need to be home to take care of Malpirgi."

"What?" Sam asked, stopping his cuddling of the ball of fur instantly. "Pirg is your dog!"

"We can hardly take him on the road with us. He would be quite uncomfortable. Anna has already agreed to have him, if you approve."

Sam cast one look at the look of adoration on Anna's face and knew he would take Pirg, or anything else she wanted.

"We'll keep him. But you have to visit us. I don't want to be completely left out of the action," Sam said, finally caving and allowing Pirg to run around the yard on his own.

"Boys! Anna! Come in here, it's time for cake!" Charlie yelled out the screen door.

Anna and Cas turned to grab Pirg and go inside, but Sam pulled his brother back for a moment.

"Dean…thank you," Sam said seriously.

"Damn, dude, I should be thanking you. I was only supposed to pull you out of school for the weekend. That was almost eight years ago."

The brothers walked back to the house in contented silence. Sam had his school, career, and family, just like he'd always wanted. Dean couldn't have picked a better gift.

After a smattering of gifts, some increasingly drunken dancing on Charlie's part, and lots of cake, everyone called it a night and left the newlyweds to their married bliss. Sam and Anna waved everyone off with a glow to their faces. Bobby flat refused to let Charlie drive back to the house, since she was so drunk that she started comparing Anna's beauty to that of Princess Leia. He hopped behind the wheel of her tiny car, Charlie grinning from the passenger seat, and told Cas and Dean he'd meet them at home whenever they felt like it.

Dean and Cas climbed into the Impala and were soon on their way in the darkness, windows down and the radio off. The only sound in the car was the rumbling engine and the whoosh of air. Dean chanced a glance toward Cas, who was laying peacefully back in his seat, his arm flying in the wind outside of his window. Even after a day in the suit, he still looked perfect.

Dean pulled the car over in an area where the empty country road widened near a corn field. He climbed out, and Cas followed, confused.

"Are you alright?" Cas asked, but Dean simply sat on the hood and patted the space beside him.

Cas climbed up, then Dean lay back on the hood. Cas followed his actions, and lay his head quietly on Dean's shoulder, wondering what could possibly have been wrong with him. He paid no attention to anything around except Dean's face, looking for some sign of what could be troubling him.

"Cas, I'm fine," Dean said. "I wanted to relax a bit. Look up there," Dean said, pointing up at absolutely nothing, and Cas refused to turn his head, continuing to look at Dean with concern.

"There is nothing up above us but air, Dean. Are you certain you're feeling alright?"

Dean sighed deeply. Not out of annoyance, but peace.

"Cas, look at the stars," Dean said softly, and Cas squinted his eyes at him, trying to decide if it was a distraction technique, before finally looking up.

"_Oh_," Cas breathed.

The sky was covered in a smattering of stars, more than he had ever seen from Earth before. He knew the stars so well, and from here, he could point out the constellations and planets to Dean, who listened attentively. Dean let him ramble on about the stars and their beauty and meaning for a few minutes, until Cas fell into a silence beside him.

"Remember back in that graveyard? The night before I turned into a full-blown woman?" Dean asked, and Cas nodded.

"Of course. We talked about the stars."

"No, we talked about soulmates. You told me that soulmates were made of the same stardust," Dean said.

"They are," Cas replied.

"What about Sam and Anna? How can they be soulmates if one was created so much earlier than the other?" Dean asked.

"I cannot answer that," Cas said simply. "Perhaps they are lovers, but not soulmates. It does happen, and frequently. The odds of finding one's soulmate are staggering. Finding the one person created with your same stardust? It's unusual. There were some in Heaven who believed Anna and I were soulmates."

That caught Dean's attention.

"You and Anna? Did you ever…you know, have a thing?" Dean asked.

"Of course not! Anna is like a sister to me, and that's all. They only believed we were because she and I were created on the same day. I assume they thought our Father must have used the same stardust to create us both, but that doesn't seem to be the case."

Dean relaxed.

"So it's rare to find your soulmate, but it actually does happen?" Dean asked.

"It does. And it's a beautiful thing to behold. When both souls are together in Heaven, they create a light to rival an angel's."

Cas stared into space, marveling at the wonders he could see in this dark area of the country. Dean watched him, the skies reflecting in his blue eyes, peace radiating from his body. He looked like Heaven like this.

"I love you, Castiel," Dean said, and the use of his full name caught Cas' attention.

"I love you too, Dean Winchester," he said, a smile playing on his lips.

"Then marry me."


	2. Chapter 2

The words were out of Dean's mouth before he even had the chance to think about what he was saying.

"Dean? Do you wish to take that back?" Cas asked, understanding more of Dean than he understood of himself.

Dean thought for a moment. Did he want to take it back? He thought back on the past. Losing Cas, thinking he was dead and gone for good, and how much it hurt inside, deep in a place he didn't even know existed. The demons' trap to find Cas by using Dean as bait. The week at Bobby's house, when Cas admitted his feelings, and Dean did too. The concert, the fireflies…and everything since. The asylum, the stint as a woman, Cas falling from Grace to be with Dean. And Sam's words.

"Cas…I love you so much it almost hurts. And I never want to feel anything else. So no, I don't want to take it back. What I want is for you to be with me for the rest of my life, and if we're made of the same stardust, I want you to be with me forever. Please, Cas. Marry me."

Dean looked over to Cas, where he lay in silence on the hood, and felt a wave of panic rise in his chest. He may say no. He might not want this. He could resent him someday, or leave, or-

"Nothing would make me happier," Cas said, and he rolled onto his side to kiss Dean gently.

"So that's a yes?" Dean asked, smiling.

"That is a yes, Dean Winchester."

Dean thought his heart might explode. As accidental proposals go, that was the best one ever to exist.

Cas grabbed Dean's hand and pulled him off the hood of the Impala and to the back, opening the trunk and pulling out a thick blanket. He stretched it out next to the car in the grass, and lay down on it, pulling Dean down next to him. He started kissing Dean again, sliding off Dean's jacket and shrugging off his own before his fumbling fingers unbuttoned their shirts.

"Cas?" Dean asked, and Cas smiled against his lips.

"I love you. I love you, and I want to show you how much," Cas said, and continued to work until both of them were naked in the moonlight.

Cas lay on top of Dean and kissed him deeply, hands dragging down his body and caressing his sides so lightly it nearly tickled. He gave a slow roll of his hips, and Dean grazed his nails down Cas' toned back. Cas slipped to the side and sat up to take Dean into his mouth. Dean arched his back at the contact, and Cas pushed him all the way into the back of his throat. He sucked at Dean's cock until it was dripping wet, and came off. He pulled Dean over on top of himself.

"Please, Dean," he said, opening his legs and wrapping them around Dean to pull him closer.

Dean slowly entered him, pushing in and pulling out gently, gradually stretching Cas open. Cas moaned low in his throat, pulling Dean down for a kiss when he was finally filling him up. Dean began to move slowly, pushing in and hitting Cas in his sweet spot, earning a soft cry from him.

"I love you, Cas," Dean said, barely above a whisper, and continued moving in a slow steady rhythm, gazing at the beautiful man below him.

Dean angled his hips to better hit Cas in his prostate on each thrust. Cas moaned, hands clenching on Dean's forearms and squeezing on each slow thrust in. Dean could feel pleasure building in his lower stomach, but he didn't speed up. He kept the slow, sensual pattern, rocking into Cas and feeling the man completely surround him with his legs around his waist and his hands locked on his arms. He could feel himself ready to plunge over the edge.

"Cas, baby," Dean said, and Cas nodded.

"Let it go, Dean," Cas said, and Dean felt a jolt travel straight to his dick.

He thrust into Cas again, hitting him in the perfect spot, and suddenly Cas was coming. He kept his eyes on Dean, and Dean came too. They rocked together, riding out their orgasms, moaning each other's names. When the last of their aftershocks were over, they continued to hold onto each other, simply looking.

"I love you," Cas said softly.

"I know, Cas baby. I love you too."

Dean slipped out of Cas and lay with him under the stars. Eventually, the night became too chilly to lay naked, and Dean and Cas put their clothes back on and climbed into the Impala. They drove back to Bobby's house in contented silence, holding hands and catching each other's eyes occasionally to smile.

When they got inside, they found Bobby dozing in the living room, a beer in front of him, and Charlie nowhere to be seen. Bobby jerked his eyes open at the sound of them coming in the door.

"Hey, boys."

"Where's Charlie?" Dean asked.

"Passed out in the bed. That girl can hold her alcohol, but when she's goes over the edge, she _really_ goes over the edge," Bobby said, stretching. "What are you two so damn happy about? You haven't stopped smiling."

"What do you think about adding someone else to the family?" Dean asked, grinning.

"Jesus, Cas, are you pregnant?" Bobby said loudly.

"The _hell_, Bobby? Cas can't get pregnant! Wait, can you?" Dean asked worriedly.

"I'm in a male vessel," Cas said, as though the answer should be obvious, and looking rather worriedly at Dean. "Men cannot get pregnant."

"Thank God for that," Dean said.

"If it ain't a baby, then who are you bringing in now? Because I'm going to need a bigger house," Bobby grumbled.

"It's _Cas_, Bobby, dammit," Dean said.

"Cas is already family," Bobby waved his hand impatiently.

"I-I am?" Cas asked.

"'Course you are," Bobby said gruffly. "You've died, lied, drank, and all of it was either for, or because of, a Winchester. Welcome to the family."

Cas grinned broadly, but Dean soldiered on.

"I mean bring him in officially. We're getting married," Dean said.

Bobby, for his part, only looked shocked for a moment, and then rose to shake their hands.

"Didn't think you were the kind to settle down. Congratulations, boys," he said, and they thanked him. "We'll celebrate some other time though. Don't tell her, but carrying Charlie to her room was harder on me than it should be. Screw this 'getting old' crap."

"Beats the hell out of the alternative," Dean said.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going to bed. I'll see you two in the morning."

Bobby climbed the stairs to his room slowly, and disappeared from view.

"When are we doing this thing?" Dean asked, uncharacteristically happy.

"Doing…what?" Cas asked.

"Getting married," Dean said.

"You seem to be in a hurry," Cas said, tilting his head.

"Cas, it took me years to finally figure out this is what I wanted," Dean said, pulling Cas to him. "I'd marry you tonight if I could. I don't care about a big wedding, I just want you."

Cas smiled at him.

"Then pack some clothes. I have an idea."


	3. Chapter 3

"Whoa, there. What's your idea?" Dean said, stopping Cas as he attempted to go up the stairs to their room.

"I understand you more than you think, and I know you do not want a large wedding. It is customary for such couples to go to a location in Nevada to be married," Cas said.

"You want to go to _Vegas_?" Dean sputtered.

"Yes, I believe that's the name of it."

"Sit down for a minute," Dean said, and Cas sat with him on one of Bobby's sofas. "You're right that I don't want an over the top wedding. But I don't want to run off to Vegas either. I want to do this right. You and me, it's been years coming. A ceremony in a fake church with Elvis as the preacher? It's just not us, Cas. Besides, I want my family there, and Sam and Anna are on their honeymoon."

"I see," Cas said, eyes downcast.

"Hey, it was a great idea. And you really do know me, Cas baby. Honest," Dean said, smiling and kissing Cas gently on the cheek.

"Boys?" Bobby's voice called as he descended the stairs. "God, tell me you have clothes on."

"Jesus, Bobby! You walking in on us once was enough!" Dean scowled.

"Yeah, well, Rufus just called. He's down in New Mexico on a case with a wendigo, but he caught another case out in Pescadero, California. Says it's serious. People are going missing, their bodies turning up the next week or so in the ocean."

"Is he sure it's our kind of thing? Maybe some serial killer came to get himself a tan," Dean said.

"The bodies are drained of blood. And it's started happening on almost a daily basis. I hate to call Sam in for this one, but it's part of the job," Bobby said.

"I can go," Cas said, and Bobby cast a worried glance at Dean before turning back to him.

"You sure about that, kid? You're a human now, and we don't even know what the hell this thing is yet."

"He can handle it," Dean said, before Bobby could say another word. "I trust him."

Cas grinned thankfully at Dean, and Bobby waved his hand.

"Then you two get in bed and get some sleep. It'll take almost thirty hours to get there. I reckon you can do it in two days if you hustle. Bed, now," Bobby said, sending them off like kids in his care instead of adults.

Dean and Cas listened, and climbed the stairs to their room. They undressed quickly and got in the bed, and Dean wrapped his arm around Cas' middle, holding him close while he closed his eyes.

"Thank you," Cas whispered in the dark room.

"For what?" Dean said back, nearly asleep.

"Trusting me. After the Leviathan, I thought that would never happen again."

"You did what you thought was right. And yeah, it might have pissed me off that you didn't trust me enough to tell me, but I'm over it. You've proven yourself to me enough."

"I can do this. We didn't get to fight much on the hospital case, but I am capable."

"Shit, I know, Cas baby. Get some sleep. We're out of here early in the morning."

**VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

Dean and Cas were up with the sun in the morning, and so was Charlie, wincing at the light and drinking coffee so black and strong it may as well have been soup.

"How you feeling?" Dean said cheerfully to her.

"Like someone ran over my head with a horse. Don't be so loud."

"Lightweight," Dean said, and he and Cas left to pack the car.

By the time they returned, Bobby was in the kitchen with Charlie, who had a plate of steaming scrambled eggs in front of her and a rather green look to her face.

"Now all you need is some ham," Dean said, and Cas turned quizzically toward him. "You know, so she'll be green, and have eggs and ham? It's Dr. Seuss, dude."

"I think you may wish to change medical practitioners, Dean," Cas said.

"It's a _book_, dammit. That's it, my first job after we get married is to build a library and movie collection."

"Wait, _what_?" Charlie squealed, then clutched at her head, speaking in a much softer tone. "What? You're getting _married_? Is Cas pregnant?"

"No!" Dean said loudly, causing Charlie to wince. "Sorry. But no! Why does everyone keep asking that?"

"I may be confused as well, but I was unaware men could get pregnant," Cas said. "Is this a common occurrence?"

"Of course not, but I didn't know. You didn't start out being human, even if you're one now. Haven't you heard of mpreg fanfiction? I know there's plenty out there for Carver Edlund's book series about you guys," Charlie said.

"What is fanfiction?" Cas asked.

"No! Not discussing that. Look, we got to go. Thanks for letting us crash here, Bobby. Charlie, good to see you. We'll be back soon as we can," Dean said, and he firmly clasped Cas by the hand and led him out the door.

They were on the road in minutes, beginning the long haul to California. Dean felt instantly at ease, even with the premise of another case ahead of him, and set his hand on Cas' knee.

"Any ideas?" Dean asked with a teasing glance.

"About the thing killing the people? It has a fixation on blood, so I can assume it could be nearly everything you have hunted in the past."

"We just need more information. That's what the interviews are for. Narrow it down from everything to a few things. I'm thinking a den of vampires. They'd need a lot of blood to keep them all fed. And living that close to the ocean, it's no telling how many bodies they've dumped in to chum the water for sharks."

"But they would know if they were attracting attention," Cas said.

"The monsters always know. They just don't care."

Dean gripped the steering wheel slightly tighter in his grasp, and was happy to pull off the highway to eat greasy breakfast sandwiches in a fast food parking lot. Dean devoured two sausage sandwiches hungrily while Cas ate his at a slower pace.

"Everything fully cooked?" Dean asked, food in his mouth.

"I suppose so. You eat like this every day?" Cas asked.

"Yeah, like always. Cas, you okay?" Dean asked.

"It seems like this is a hard life to live. Would you rather have a different one?" Cas asked.

Dean's stomach clenched.

"I've thought about it," he said honestly. "I don't know what I want. But as long as you're here too, I'm happy."

Cas smiled broadly. Dean maneuvered the car back onto the highway. He noticed Cas looking out the window, watching everything with interest.

"How about you? What do you want to do?" Dean asked finally.

"Everything."

Dean laughed.

"That doesn't narrow it down much. Any goals in particular?"

Cas thought for a moment.

"I mean it when I say everything. I have not lived, Dean. I have been alive since the dawn of time, and I have never truly lived until now. So no, I do not have any particular goals. All I want is to live each day and love you for every one of them."

Dean couldn't think of how to respond to that. What do you say when someone, who has lived the length of the universe, wants to spend the rest of their days with you? Cas was undoubtedly at the end of his life in terms of length. For the first time, Cas had numbered days, and Dean was filled with a sudden urge to make every one count. He turned his radio down and said the only thing that he could, the only thing that he felt.

"I love you so much. And I'm going to give you the best life any man has ever had."

**A/N I have such big plans for this story! I'm excited for you to see what they're hunting! Thank you for commenting and following this story, and there is plenty more to come!**


	4. Chapter 4

Cas and Dean took turns driving, and were in the town much faster than Bobby had anticipated. Of course, that probably had something to do with Dean's influence; Cas rarely drove the speed limit.

"It's just a _suggestion_," Dean argued.

The day they arrived, Dean and Cas set about to interviewing the few witnesses in the seaside town. Most family members and friends had no idea why anyone would want to hurt their loved one, or even where he or she had been that day.

"Perfect cover," Dean murmured to Cas after their third interview turned out to be a bust. "Take people that no one knows anything about. Loners."

"It is a technique as old as serial killers themselves," Cas pointed out, and Dean arched his brows. "Sam and I watched a special on them. They often take people who will not be missed very quickly, or who are just passing through an area. It makes them harder to catch."

"Awesome. Our monster knows its crap," Dean said, and they pulled into the driveway of their fourth witness. "This one's unusual. Married. All the others were single."

Dean and Cas made their way to the husband's front door, and were greeted by him and his ten year old daughter. Cas felt his heart drop. This monster had taken away a little girl's mother.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Evanovich. We'd like to ask you a few questions about your wife," Dean said flashing his badge, and the little girl's eyes filled with tears.

Cas noticed immediately.

"Hello," Cas said, and he kneeled down to her level. "Those are some beautiful flowers in the yard. Would you like to show them to me?"

The girl looked to her father for permission, and when he nodded, the girl took Cas by the hand and led him to the garden outside. The father took a step to the side, and invited Dean into the home. With a backward glance at Cas, Dean followed him in. Cas watched him go, then turned all his attention to the girl.

"My name is Cas," he said, and the girl finally let go of his hand.

"Clara," she whispered.

She took a seat in front of the rows of flowers, and Cas sat next to her. Clara was silent for a moment, and Cas decided it was best to let her control the situation.

"Those white ones are my favorite," she finally said, pointing to a cluster of white flowers growing in a cone shape. "Mommy knew the name, but I can't remember it."

"White lilac," Cas said softly.

He knew of the flower, and its meaning: youthful innocence.

"That's it!" Clara said, and she smiled widely at Cas for the first time before sadness crept over her face again. "Mommy liked those too. She planted them for me when we moved here last month."

"Your Mommy must have loved you very much," Cas said gently.

"I think she did. I shouldn't be sad, but a life is a long time to wait to see someone again."

"What do you mean?" Cas asked.

"Well, Daddy always said Mommy was his angel. Angels live in Heaven, not on Earth. I just have to wait until it's my time to go to Heaven and I'll see Mommy again."

Cas wanted to hug Clara close to him.

"I bet her wings are beautiful," he said, and Clara's eyes lit up.

"Me too! She liked yellow, like her daffodils. I bet they're bright yellow, and have big orange spots on them. Did you know all the angels have different colored wings? Can you imagine when they fly? All those colors?"

"I can, yes," Cas said, remembering. "You seem to know quite a bit about angels."

"Mommy had a book she would read to me when I couldn't sleep. It's an angel dictionary, or something like that. I know about _all_ the angels," Clara puffed up proudly. "But there are two that are better than all the rest."

"Is that so?" Cas asked, amused.

"Well, yeah! Angels are a lot like humans. Different personalities and stuff. That's why I like Gabriel," Clara said and Cas' chest gave a painful lurch. "He's an archangel, and my book said that he loves to joke and play. That's what I like to think angels are like. Really fun, and happy. Not like Michael. Michael is a jerk."

Cas laughed loudly at that, and he couldn't help but want to agree.

"I always thought so too."

"My favorite is Castiel though," Clara said, and Cas' eyes widened. "My book said he's special. He's a warrior, like all the rest, but he loves humans too. The other angels like us, I guess, but they think about humans like we think about guinea pigs or something. We _like_ them, but they don't matter all that much. Castiel thinks we all matter, and that makes him my favorite, because Mommy always said that everyone matters."

Clara paused thoughtfully before reaching forward and picking one of the white lilacs.

"I like you," she said. "You believe in angels."

"I like you too," Cas smiled at her. "And I love your Mommy's flowers. She had a talent for growing them."

"She was selling some of her roses the day she went missing," Clara said. "She was supposed to meet a man down at Carson's Warehouse, but she never came back."

The door opened behind them and the two men came out, Dean thanking Mr. Evanovich and walking toward Cas.

"Here," Clara said, handing Cas the white lily. "If you like my Mommy's flowers, you should take one."

"Thank you," Cas told her kindly, and he stood to brush his pants off.

"Bye!" Clara said to him, and she ran back into the house with her father.

"That was a bust," Dean told Cas. "He was working the day his wife disappeared, and they just moved here. He doesn't know anyone who'd want to hurt her."

"She went to a warehouse," Cas said, and Dean looked surprised. "Clara said her Mom was going to sell flowers the day she vanished."

"Then we start there," Dean said. "Let's go back to the motel and get out of these suits. We'll head over there tonight."

He and Cas drove back to the motel and quickly changed, stopping only long enough for Dean to pull Cas into a quick kiss.

"What was that for?" Cas asked.

"Seeing you with kids makes me happy for some reason," Dean shrugged. "You make them comfortable. Come on, let's gank whatever the hell this is and get out of here."

Dean and Cas loaded up with salt, silver bullets packed into their guns, holy water, and anything else they could carry, not really knowing what the monster was. By the time they reached the warehouse, the sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows over the empty building.

"It's always a damn warehouse. Can't these bastards ever hole up in something like a condo in Florida?" Dean muttered.

He waited until he was sure Cas was next to him and ready, then pushed the front door open slowly.

**A/N Oh, the plans I have. I'm so excited.**


	5. Chapter 5

"I can't believe it. Completely empty," Dean said, throwing his stuff onto the dingy motel mattress and plopping down himself.

"Perhaps it was just another dead end. But we _will_ find the creature. I have faith in your abilities," Cas said, sitting next to him.

"Come here," Dean said, edging himself back up on the bed and laying down. "I want to sleep."

"So sleep," Cas said.

"With you," Dean answered.

Cas grinned and crawled up the bed. He lay his head on Dean's shoulder, and both men closed their eyes. It was only a matter of minutes before Dean's rapid thoughts of what the monster could be faded into pleasant dreams.

"Dean!" a familiar voice said as it pounded on his door. "Get up and come down for breakfast, or I'm sending in Alex."

"Dammit, Sammy, I'm coming," Dean grumbled, and the steps outside the door faded.

He sat up in bed, and realization washed over him. Sam? What in the hell was Sam doing in California? Dean stumbled out of the bed, and when his feet hit lush carpet, he opened his eyes in wonder. This was certainly not the room he'd fallen asleep in last night. The room wasn't sparse; instead, pictures hung in frames on the wall, an antique dresser sat in the corner, and a closet sat ajar with clothes inside. _His_ clothes. He spun around to see Cas sprawled out on the bed. Thank God.

"Cas," Dean said, shaking him awake.

"Hmf," Cas grumbled.

"Get up. Something's going on," Dean said urgently.

At this, Cas' eyes popped open, and he gazed around the room in confusion.

"Where are we?" he asked, looking at Dean as though he held the answer.

"Hell if I know. And Sam's here. He said something about someone named Alex-," Dean began, but the door burst open in that moment.

Dean's initial reaction was to reach for his gun, it was nowhere to be found. Instead, he was suddenly wrapped up by a short, red-headed girl, who squeezed him around the middle and looked up with big, green eyes.

"Dad said to wake you up!" the child said.

"Alex," an exasperated voice whined from the hall. "You were supposed to wait for _me_."

A small boy, almost taller than the girl but undoubtedly younger, walked into the room. His dark hair and eyes glinted as he jumped on Cas, who let out a resounding "oomph!"

"Uncle Dean," Alex said, still latched tight around his waist and frowning. "Benny said you were going to teach him to shoot a gun. You know what Momma would say."

"I said he _might_ teach me! Stop trying to get me in trouble!" the little boy said from his resting place on Cas' stomach.

"Children?" Cas asked tentatively, and Alex and Benny both turned their gazes to him. "Uncle Dean and I need to have a talk. Can you tell Sam we will come downstairs soon?"

"I'm telling Dad!" Alex yelled, and she tore out of the room, Benny right behind her, screaming, "Uncle Cas was talking to me!"

"Okay, man, what the hell?" Dean asked, turning to Cas. "I don't know if we should be ganking things or running."

"Calm down," Cas said, coming to Dean and holding his hand. "We need to think rationally."

"How the hell can I do that?" Dean asked.

"You can start by having breakfast with your brother," Cas answered.

"Are you serious? That could be a shapeshifter trying to kill us. I'm not eating with fake Sam."

"If they wanted us dead, they would have killed us in our sleep instead of bringing us here. Downstairs," Cas said, and Dean, surprisingly, followed him, though he grumbled about it the entire way.

The house was what people expect in suburbia. It was exceptional in its sense of absolute normalcy. Pictures of the two children Dean had seen littered the walls, along with vacation photos, and even a wedding photo. Dean looked closely at it.

"Cas," he said, pulling him in. "Holy shit, look."

The photo was from the wedding between Sam and Anna a few days previously. Everything was identical, including Cas and Dean.

"Dean!" a woman's voice called from the bottom of the stairs.

Dean looked down to see Anna, looking older than the last time he had seen her, and wearing an expression equal to that of his own mother.

"I know it's your vacation, but you two have to get out of bed at a normal hour. I made waffles. Blueberry for Cas, chocolate chip for you and the kids," Anna said.

Anna turned to go back into the kitchen, and Cas and Dean descended the stairs to follow her. Sam was sitting at the table, his hair still long and hanging in his face, though Dean could see gray in the brown mop.

Dean and Cas sat down uncomfortably in the chairs, and the kids ran in to sit down as well, arguing over who got to sit where.

"Enough," Sam said, grinning. "Alex, sit next to Dean. Benny, next to Cas. Problem solved."

"What are you two getting into today?" Anna asked, putting stacks of waffles in front of each person before making herself a plate.

"Uncle Dean said he'd teach Benny how to shoot," Alex said immediately, and Anna shot Dean a withering look.

"Tattletale!" Benny exclaimed.

"I'm sure Dean wouldn't do anything like that without checking with us first, right?" Sam asked, giving Dean the patented bitch face.

"Yeah, no. Of course not," Dean said.

"I thought maybe we could go to the waterpark," Anna said, and Alex and Benny started yelling excitedly. Anna spoke to Dean and Cas over them. "Is that okay with you two?"

"I-yeah. That-that sounds great," Dean said.

The kids bolted down their breakfasts and dashed to their rooms to change into bathing suits, while the adults sat around the table.

"So," Dean said, unaware of why he felt so awkward around two people he knew so well. "How…how was your honeymoon?"

Sam gaped at him and Anna narrowed her eyes.

"Not bad. I mean, it was a decade ago, so memories fade," she said, looking concerned.

"Sure, I just meant…ten year anniversary! Hell yeah!" Dean said, and Cas kicked him under the table.

"What he meant was that it was kind of you to allow us to visit over this important milestone," Cas said, and Dean relaxed. Leave it to Cas to know what to say.

"We wouldn't feel right doing this alone. You two are the reason we met, after all," Anna laughed.

"Besides, you two were the ones who volunteered to keep Alex and Benny over the weekend for us. Thanks again for coming here, by the way. It would be way too hard to get the kids to Vermont. I know you're not a huge fan of Georgia, Dean, but this is such a quiet town."

"Georgia. Right," Dean said. "Look, I don't want to impose, but can I borrow your laptop for a bit? I need to check my email."

"Sure. But it's your vacation. Don't let the boss work you here, too," Sam said.

Sam reached behind him to grab the computer off the shelf. It was sleek and thin. Very futuristic, Dean thought. He smiled in a way that he prayed Sam wouldn't recognize as anything but honest. As soon as he was able, he pulled Cas back to his room.

"What are you doing?" Cas asked.

"Sammy may do most of the research, but I know how to do it if I have to," Dean said, and he pulled up google.

An hour later, with the kids excitedly jumping around and yelling about being ready to go, Dean had enough background information to have the beginnings of a terrible headache. It truly was ten years to the day after Sam and Anna's wedding. Dean had written all the information down in a scrawl, and he read it off to Cas.

"We're in Pace, Georgia. But you and me? We live in Vermont, and we're married. Dean Winchester, head of human relations for Logicorp, and Cas Novak accountant for Logicorp."

"This is an entirely different reality?" Cas asked, frowning.

"Completely different. As far as I can tell, there aren't even any monsters here. No angels, demons, just people. Look, I even found Mom and Dad's death certificates. Mary Winchester, died in a house fire. John Winchester, died of a heart attack. Cas…what _is_ this place?"

"It seems to be a reality where we are perfectly normal," Cas said.

"How? It's like being back around your idiot brother again," Dean rolled his eyes.

"Dean, maybe it's exactly like that," Cas said.

"What do you mean? Gabriel wasn't a trickster, he was just being an asshole."

"Maybe, but _real_ tricksters do exist. I believe we may be stuck in a trickster's ruse."

"Awesome. So we just search an entire alternate reality to find the one jackass causing it. Sounds easy," Dean said, sarcasm rolling off his tongue. "What do we do until then?"

"I think," Cas said, coming close to Dean and giving him a gentle kiss. "We enjoy being normal."


	6. Chapter 6

By the time they made it back from the water park late that afternoon, it was nearly time for Sam and Anna to leave for their stay in Atlanta. Alex and Benny had taken short naps in the car on the way home, and were completely wired again, bouncing up and down in excitement over the prospect of time with their uncles and no parental supervision.

"You behave, both of you. Dean and Cas will call us if anything happens, and it better not," Anna said sternly. "Bed by nine, no fighting."

"No wild house parties where the cops break it up, got it," Dean said, smiling.

Anna rolled her eyes and smiled back at him, and she and Sam grabbed their bags to leave. They hugged and kissed the kids, and thanked Dean and Cas again before heading out the door.

"Oh, and Mrs. Eddles will be bringing His Highness back any time now. He's been being pampered all day," Anna called over her shoulder.

Dean was obviously supposed to know what she meant, and he simply nodded and waved as she and Sam climbed into their car and drove away.

"Who the hell are they talking about? They got a third kid we don't know about?" Dean said under his breath to Cas.

"I'm hungry," Benny said suddenly. "Grill me a cheese, Uncle Dean!"

"And make cookies! Oh, oh, chocolate chip ones, Uncle Cas!" Alex said, jumping up and down.

Dean and Cas exchanged looks before heading to the kitchen, and instructing the kids to entertain themselves.

"You can bake cookies?" Dean said, as Cas began to get all his ingredients together.

"Apparently, though I don't remember exactly how," Cas pored over the recipe as though deciphering an ancient text.

Dean huffed a laugh as he made a few sandwiches for the kids and called them into the kitchen. The moment they sat, the doorbell rang. Cas went to answer it, leaving Dean with the constantly hyper children. He could hear Cas talking animatedly with someone, and soon the front door closed. All at once, a giant, hairy creature tore into the kitchen, and Cas followed it in.

"I met Mrs. Eddles," Cas said unnecessarily. "She's a pet groomer."

"A pet-," Dean began, but the next moment all air was knocked out of him when the gigantic furball leapt full strength onto his lap.

The colorings were familiar, as were the big, soulful eyes.

"_Malpirgi_?" Dean asked, incredulous.

Pirg gave a loud, happy bark and attempted to lick every inch of Dean he could reach. Dean grinned and gave the dog a big hug, ruffling his fur and scratching behind his ears.

"Lookin' good!" he said, and Pirg finally decided he'd had enough, striding out of the room to sleep off his busy day in some corner of the home.

Pirg followed Dean around relentlessly for the rest of the day, and Alex did too, asking him more questions than he had ever heard in his life. She asked about cars, about books and college, how much candy had cost back when Dean was a kid, why dogs chased cats, who invented sand castles, and hundreds of other seemingly unrelated ponderings.

Dean found himself pleased to know that bedtime was approaching. The kids were unceremoniously dunked into showers and put into pajamas, made to brush their teeth, and walked down the hall to their respective rooms.

Cas led Benny to his room, and Dean attempted to put Alex to bed. She fought him, asked him even _more_ questions, and was starting to get into a very loud argument about why she should stay up later than Benny, when Cas appeared at the door with the boy, who was sniffling.

"I miss Mom and Dad," Benny said, and Alex started to tear up as well.

"Me too," she said. "I can't sleep."

"You two have to sleep," Dean said, exhausted. "Your folks will be home day after tomorrow, and you can't stay awake until then."

This only served to make Alex and Benny cry harder. Cas knelt down between the two of them, Alex still in her bed and Benny standing beside her.

"How about you two sleep in your Mommy and Daddy's bed? It will be like an adventure," he said, and Benny and Alex slowly stopped crying.

"Can we stay there all night?" Benny hiccupped, and Cas nodded. "And you'll read us a story?"

"Certainly. Pick one out and meet me in the room," Cas told them.

Dean followed Cas to Sam and Anna's room, and the kids met them soon after, scrambling into bed as Benny handed off a book.

"Oh, The Places You'll Go," Cas read off the title, and opened the book once the kids were settled.

It didn't take long for the sleepy, worn-out children to fall asleep, warm and comfy in their parents' bed. Cas was reading the very end when he noticed them, and he quietly closed the book. Cas checked on each child, tucking them in and planting a loving kiss on their foreheads before he and Dean left to go to the living room.

"I like them much better when they're sleeping," Dean said.

"I find them inquisitive and a perfect combination of Anna and Sam. Intelligent and curious, and mildly irritating," Cas said.

Dean leaned in with a laugh and kissed Cas gently on his lips. Cas didn't pull away, but he didn't respond at once either. Dean pulled back with a confused look.

"Hey, man, is everything okay?" Dean asked.

"Yes, just very tired," Cas said, and Dean held his hand.

"Then let's go to bed. Something tells me those two will have us up early in the morning."

**VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**

Dean's prediction came true, when two very energetic children romped into their room at seven the next morning, Malpirgi running in after them and diving on the bed.

"I want pancakes!" Benny said excitedly.

"You're a bottomless pit," Dean groaned, rolling over.

"Daddy says I'm growing," Benny frowned.

"Yeah, he was the same way. You're going to be as tall as he is. Come on, Cas, up."

Dean rolled over to see Cas was missing. He felt a slight wave of panic until Alex spoke.

"Uncle Cas is already downstairs. He said he won't cook unless you come down too."

Dean complained under his breath, then climbed out of the bed to follow the kids, Malpirgi at his heels. They went downstairs, and Pirg darted out the dog door to the backyard.

"Best invention ever," Dean muttered, and Cas set plates of pancakes in front of all of them. "Thanks, Cas baby."

Cas smiled.

"You're welcome."

"So, what are you two rugrats going to do today?" Dean asked Alex and Benny.

"Watch movies," Alex said, taking tiny bites of her food.

"Play computer games!" Benny exclaimed, or tried to, around the nearly whole pancake crowding his mouth.

"Oh, hell no," Dean said, and Cas shot him a warning look. "I mean, heck no. It's summer. You two are going outside and being normal kids."

Dean's words were met with considerable whining from Benny and Alex about how they _were_ normal, and it wasn't the eighties anymore. Everyone played games, it wasn't fair.

"Blah, blah. Finish your breakfasts, get your clothes on, and get out in the yard. You can come back in for lunch."

The kids grumbled, but did as they were told. Soon, when they were bombarding each other with water balloons and shooting squirt guns in the yard, everything was forgotten. Dean watched them from the kitchen window. They reminded him of Sam and himself growing up.

"How about a movie?" Dean asked Cas.

"Shouldn't we be outside 'playing' too?" Cas asked.

"We're old. Let's see what movies Sam and Anna have. Holy shit, it's been ten years…"

"So?" Cas asked.

"So that means there's a crap ton of new Marvel movies out, and if I know my brother like I do, he's got every one on DVD," Dean said.

"Dean baby, don't you think maybe Sam grew out of Marvel movies?" Cas asked, and Dean stopped to turn toward him.

"Did you just call me baby? You've never done that before," Dean said, and Cas smiled.

"There's a first time for everything, I suppose. I wonder if a third Captain America movie was made?" Cas asked, and Dean excitedly walked toward the living room.

"Damn, I hope so."


	7. Chapter 7

The rest of the day passed in domestic comfort, with lunch and dinner eaten together, peaceful conversations, and happy stolen kisses between Dean and Cas. Everything culminated in a large water fight in the backyard, when the kids tricked Dean into walking out to check on Pirg. They attacked, lobbing water balloons and using their squirt guns to soak him to the bone. He grabbed a spare shooter, and shot back, laughing wildly. His aim was better, and he found himself slacking off just to give the kids a chance.

"Cas!" he yelled, hiding behind a bush and convincing the kids to hide as well. "Come out here a minute!"

Cas came out of the house, and Dean led a merciless attack. Soon, Cas was drenched to the bone. He picked up the garden hose as his weapon of choice, and aimed the jet setting at each of his enemies in turn. Dean inhaled water up his nose as Cas shot him square in the face, and started to hack and cough.

"Truce!" he bellowed between coughs.

"I don't accept truces. Only victories," Cas grinned, standing over him, and pulled the lever of the hose so water shot Dean's back.

"Fine! You win!" Dean yelled out, and Cas backed off to allow him room to cough the water up.

"Thank you," Dean said, and he stood to wrap his arms around Cas' neck.

Quietly, he unscrewed the water chamber from his water gun, and tipped it up over Cas' head.

"You lied!" Cas yelled when Dean backed away.

"Yeah, well, you don't stop the apocalypse by being honest," Dean grinned, and Cas sputtered. "Get in the house, you little hellions."

The kids stripped down on the patio, and Dean sent them inside to get dressed while he and Cas took off their own wet clothing.

"Put on pajamas!" Dean yelled into the house. "There's no way you need a bath after that!"

He and Cas snuck quickly to their room to get dressed as well, and were soon warm and dry while they put the kids to bed. They turned on one of the many Marvel movies Dean was happy to watch, and settled back on the couch.

"I like it here," Cas said quietly a few moments later, and Dean sighed.

"I do too. But once Sam and Anna get back, we're going to need to figure out a way to gank whatever trickster son of a bitch this is, and get back to our time."

"Why?" Cas asked, honest concern on his face.

"Because, it's…look, Cas. I didn't live this life. We aren't even hunters here. None of my real life ever happened. I'm not this person, you know?"

Cas nodded slowly.

"But you could be."

Dean put his arm around Cas' shoulder, unable to think of an answer to that. They watched the movie, but soon the events of the afternoon, and being around two fully energized kids, put them to sleep. There they sat, leaned against one another, until jingling keys in the doorway awakened them at ten the next morning.

"Dean?" Sam asked. "Did you two sleep there?"

"I guess so," Dean said, and he and Cas stretched and checked the clock. "And pretty damn late too. Are the kids up yet?"

Sam's answer was drowned out by the sound of two children, and one large dog, launching themselves at Anna and Sam.

"Why are you two home so early? We could have handled them the rest of the day," Dean asked.

"Anna missed the kids," Sam said, but Anna punched him.

"I missed them, yeah. But Sam couldn't bear spending any more time without them, and decided to come home first thing this morning."

"Aw, Sam! How cute!" Dean teased, and Sam rolled his eyes.

"Okay, heathens, give your parents some room to come in the door," Dean said, and he and Cas stood to help with the bags.

Instead, Alex and Benny latched themselves onto Dean and Cas, hugging them tightly and pulling them down into kisses.

"Thanks for babysitting!" Benny said.

"Yeah, you're the best! I love you!" Alex said, and she and Benny ran off to get into something else.

"Here, Anna. Let me help you take these to your room," Cas said, and he carried the bags while Anna lead the way upstairs.

"You could've just called and checked on them," Dean smirked at Sam.

"I know, I know. By the way, Cassie called me last week. Something about our high school reunion coming up. She wants you to come."

Dean's eyes widened. He had graduated high school? More than that, he'd been friends with so many people that they actually _wanted_ him at the reunion.

"I'll give her a call," Dean said blankly. "Can you write her number down for me?"

Sam grabbed some paper and a pen from the table, and scrawled out a number quickly. Dean stiffened and took several steps back, putting as much distance between Sam and himself as he could.

"Who are you?" Dean asked, tensing.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sam frowned. "I'm your brother."

"No. No, Sam is right handed. You just wrote down that number with your left hand."

Sam continued to look confused, and suddenly Dean realized what was going on.

"A djinn," he said, under his breath.

"A _what_?" Sam asked.

"This life. It's perfect. And it wants to keep me here. I have to be asleep. That explains the victims, the blood draining. It's not vampires, it's a damned _djinn_."

"Okay, Dean? I have no idea what you're talking about, but it's kind of freaking me out."

"_Cas!_" Dean yelled, and he backed into the kitchen, Sam following, and grabbed a large knife off the counter.

Sam seemed to calm under his fierce gaze, and when he spoke, it was with an unnatural sounding voice.

"That will not work," Sam said softly. "You cannot exit this place by killing yourself, as you did last time. I am not that type of djinn."

"Yeah, I'm really going to believe you," Dean snarled.

"Cut yourself if you do not believe. Try it."

Dean hesitated, but drew the blade across his arm, which began to gush blood. He didn't feel a thing.

"What the hell?" he snarled.

"I told you, I am not that kind of djinn. I specialize in mental illusions. You cannot leave a mental world by means of physical action."

"So you're telling me I have to hurt myself _mentally_ to get out of this place? Dude, do you have any idea how fucked up I am in the head? Do you honestly think I won't do it to save me and Cas?"

"Why leave?" the djinn-Sam questioned. "You will feel no pain in this process. In fact, your entire life will be played out here, and it will feel like it. No more pain. Just you, living your life the way you have always wanted."

"Dean, what-," Cas came into the room, and quick as a flash, Dean was next to him, placing himself between the monster and Cas.

"Grab my keys. On the rack, behind you. Thank God, at least Baby is here," Dean said. "We're leaving. Don't try and follow us. I _will_ kill you, even if you're wearing Sam."

Cas looked confused, but he grabbed the keys and walked backward through the door with Dean, who never once dropped his weapon. As soon as he and Cas were safely in the car, Dean locked the doors. From the upstairs window, he could make out the faces of Alex and Benny pressed against the glass, looks of worry on their faces. He pulled away and drove in silence.

"What's going on?" Cas finally asked, his wide blue eyes concerned.

"It's not a trickster," Dean said, getting onto the highway. "It's a djinn. We're stuck here until I can jar myself with enough mental anguish to get out. You too, apparently."

"How do you know that?" Cas asked.

"It told me," Dean said. "I guess most people would rather live in their fantasy world than deal with mental scarring forever, but come on, man. Mental scarring is basically all my brain is at this point."

"So what do we do?" Cas questioned, his expression calm.

"We drive as far away from that craziness as we can, and try to think about how the hell to get out of here."


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter has a trigger warning for violence.**

Dean and Cas were miles and miles away before Cas spoke again. Light was quickly fading outside, the incoming darkness daunting.

"I'm hungry."

They hadn't stopped driving all day, and even Dean had to admit he was starving. He had been so desperate to get away from the imposter version of his brother that he had put Cas' needs aside. His face softened.

"I know, Cas baby. I'm sorry. We'll stop and get some burgers at the next town, and find a motel."

Dean kept his word. Within twenty minutes, they turned off on an exit. They grabbed some drive-thru food and checked into a dimly lit, rather old looking motel in the tiny town they had come across. Cas and Dean hauled their duffel bags in and ate their food. Cas finished first, and soon began to dig through his bag for his toothbrush.

Dean had been quiet for much of the day, staring angrily at the road and listening to the same tapes repeatedly. It infuriated him that his perfect fantasy life still included his perfect music. He wanted it to be wrong. Wanted this life to be worse than his real one, just to prove to himself that his life was fine the way it was.

Instead, he'd found things he had always looked for. Sam and Anna, happy and safe, with a family of their own. Even the damn dog he had given them. A niece and nephew he adored. Dean's chest gave a painful lurch at the realization that Alex and Benny weren't real. Just another part of the djinn's illusion. And there was Cas. He had a peaceful, married life with Cas, where nothing was trying to kill them, and they led perfectly normal lives, even though it meant working at a dull office job. Dean thought he could even deal with that if it meant he had everything else in his life. Damn. He wasn't going to even consider the possibility of staying here. He couldn't.

"Everything will work out, Dean."

He was pulled from his thoughts by Cas, who sat at the edge of the bed, pajamas on and ready for bed.

"How do you know?" Dean asked, the question coming out more insecure than he'd have wished.

"Because I love you. And you are my angel."

Dean chuckled at that.

"You've got that all wrong. Just look at that necklace I gave you if you ever doubt it. Angel's wings."

"I may have been a literal angel, but you are one to me. Remember seeing the little girl, Clara? She told me that her father always called her mother his angel. She showed me all the flowers, and said her mother planted them, just for her. It's the kind of thing you would do."

Dean smiled and held Cas' hand. Cas grinned back, but then began searching his bag again.

"She gave me a flower. I pressed it in my Bible…I think you should have it."

Cas pulled out his leather bound Bible, and opened it to the page where he had the flower. It lay there, the purple of its petals leeching out into the thin pages. Dean felt sick.

"Cas…that isn't right," Dean said, a wave of fear passing over him. "The flower Clara gave you was white."

Cas looked confused.

"No, Dean, it was purple. I put it straight into the Bible as soon as we got back to the motel room from searching the warehouse. I remember clearly."

"No," Dean whispered, fear turning his insides to ice. "You…you called me baby, but only after I said it to you first. You didn't kiss me back the other night. You woke up early, and didn't complain about it. Jesus. You're not Cas."

"Of course I am!" Cas said, eyes widening. "I called you baby because I felt like it! I thought it was time to give you a pet name. I didn't kiss you because I was exhausted from playing with our _fake_ niece and nephew, and I woke up early so I could make your breakfast. I've done that before."

Dean shook his head.

"You aren't Cas," he said, and he pulled his blade out of his bag.

The thought of stabbing Cas sent shivers through his body. _That_ would count as mental anguish. It would save them both. He could get back to the real one.

"Dean," Cas begged, putting his hands up and backing away. "It truly is me. Ask me anything."

"These creatures play with your mind. It accesses my memories. Anything I know, you know," Dean said.

"Then ask me something only I would know!" Cas said loudly.

"The flower was _white_, Cas. You rambled on about it for twenty minutes, its meaning, how perfect it was that Clara's mother had planted it for her."

"I made a mistake! You're looking at the flower, Dean. It's purple. It has _always_ been purple. Please!" Cas said.

Dean clenched his jaw. Cas' eyes were wide and fearful, his legs shaking as he stood and Dean kept a safe distance between them.

"You're going to kill me because I misspoke about the color of a flower? Listen to me. I pulled you from Hell. I placed a handprint on your shoulder. I fell in love with you as an angel, and chose to fall because of it. You…you and I spoke about stardust."

Dean narrowed his eyes.

"You could easily know those things," he snarled. "You'll have to do better than that."

"I can't prove it to you any other way. I love you, and you'll have to trust me."

Cas dropped his hands and stepped closer to Dean. He stood emotionless, his pleading eyes searching Dean's face. Dean nodded, and came to stand directly in front of Cas. He placed one hand on his shoulder, staring into his blue eyes.

"I love you," Dean whispered, and Cas seemed to visibly relax. "But that flower was always white."

He thrust the knife upward into Cas' stomach, his own stomach churning at the look of hurt and betrayal on Cas' face. Blood began to pour from the wound, leaking down Dean's arm and pooling at their feet. Cas glanced at the knife, handle still held firmly in Dean's hand, before dragging his gaze back to Dean's eyes, his expression full of disbelief and shock. He sank to the floor on his knees, and Dean stepped back, pulling away the knife.

"Dean," Cas managed to sputter thickly around the blood now seeping from his mouth.

He slumped to the floor, now covered with his blood, and Dean dropped the knife. Panic and shame welled over him. Could he have been wrong? He stood in the room, seconds ticking by, and did not wake from the djinn's spell.

"No," he said, sinking to the floor next to Cas' lifeless body, his own body shaking with fear, sobs, and pure terror. "Cas!"


	9. Chapter 9

Dean pulled Cas' lifeless body into his arms, and blood seeped into his clothes. He begged and pleaded for Cas to come back, tears flowing down his face.

"Cas! Please, no!" Dean begged, shaking him hard on the shoulder. "I'm sorry! _Cas!_"

"Dean?" came a slight whisper.

Dean jerked in shock, and stared down at the lifeless form in his hands, the face ashen and bloody. He heard his name again, and this time he was certain it hadn't come from the abnormally cold body in his hands.

The body began to morph in front of his eyes. Cas' features stretched and pulled obscenely, and Dean quickly stood and backed away. The dead blue eyes sank back, the skin rolled, and Cas' hair blew as though a sudden breeze had wafted through the room. Then everything stilled.

Dean walked cautiously to where Cas lay, bloody and pale, but laying still.

"Cas?" he asked, and he reached out a hand to feel his skin.

The instant his hand made contact with Cas, the body disintegrated to dust. Dean stood, eyes wide with fear. He felt paralyzed, like he was bound…unable to move…

"Dean!" the same voice said, much louder this time, and Dean wondered for a moment if he was losing his mind. "Wake _up!_"

Dean struggled, hovering between two worlds. The room in front of his eyes began to pulsate, the colors becoming stronger, more insistent. He shook his head. It was a dream. It _had _to be a dream. That wondrous voice filled his head again, and he clenched his eyes shut.

"Come back to me," the voice said gently, and Dean opened his eyes.

Standing before him, battered and exhausted but unmistakably alive, was the real living and breathing Cas. Dean registered that he was tied up against a wooden pillar inside of a large warehouse, a discarded IV lying beside him. Cas reached out and cut Dean's bonds, holding Dean when he collapsed weakly against the shorter man. He led him outside of the warehouse into the darkness, which managed to bring Dean back to his senses.

"The djinn," he said, looking around worriedly.

"He is dead," Cas said simply. "It took me several hours after you went missing to find him. I wasn't sure if I would be able to find you in time."

Cas' stoic face gave nothing away, but Dean had known him long enough to tell what he was thinking.

"Stop here," Dean said, and Cas allowed them both to sit on a large boulder.

"Are you feeling sick? I can carry you the rest of the way-"

Cas' words came to an abrupt end when Dean's mouth crashed into his. He kissed Cas as though he were a lifeline, pouring everything into it: fear, pain, love.

"Dean," Cas said, when they broke apart. "We need to get you to a hospital."

"I don't need a hospital, Cas. I'm fine."

Dean stood to make his way back to the car, which was a terrible idea. The amount of blood loss, coupled with the sudden change in position, caused him to get dizzy and have to sit back down immediately.

"Fine, we go to the hospital. But they'll tell you I'm okay," Dean said, and Cas helped him hobble to the car.

The last thing Dean remembered was arguing over who got to drive before he passed out entirely.

When he awoke, he was warm, comfortable, and aware that he was in a bed. He opened his eyes lazily to see Cas dozing in a chair in the corner of a hospital room, the lights dimmed. The early morning sunshine coming in the window let Dean know he must have been out for a few hours. One of the machines in the room beeped, and a blood pressure cuff began to fill with air, squeezing his arm. The sound caught the attention of Cas, who opened his eyes and was next to Dean in an instant.

"Told you, 'm fine, Cas baby," Dean said, and Cas scowled.

"You certainly were _not_. The doctors had to give you blood."

"That explains the pain in my arm," Dean said, examining the IV. "Come here."

Dean motioned for Cas to sit on the edge of the bed, and he took his hand when he could reach it.

"I love you," Dean said softly.

"I love you too," Cas said, a smile playing on his lips.

"What the hell happened back there?" Dean asked. "I don't know where the dream started, what was real…"

"What do you remember?" Cas asked, fingers tracing circles in Dean's palm.

"The warehouse. We went in, it was empty…and we came back to the motel room to sleep. I woke up in the djinn's dream."

Cas frowned.

"The warehouse was never empty. The moment we went in, the lights went out, and we were separated. A night hasn't passed. That all happened several hours ago."

Dean went cold.

"So it was never you…holy shit. How did you _find_ me?"

"You called to me. That's how I found you in the warehouse."

"What did I say?" Dean asked.

"My name. Was I in your dream world?"

Dean squeezed Cas' hand.

"You were. That djinn. He wasn't a normal one. I had to do something to hurt myself mentally to get out of there…Cas baby…it wasn't you. It wasn't you, I just have to remember that."

"Dean…did I _hurt_ you?" Cas asked, eyes fearful.

"God, no. I – I hurt you. I _killed_ you, Cas. But I thought for a minute, after, that I screwed up and killed you for real. I'm – I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. It wasn't me. How did you know?" Cas asked him.

"The flower," Dean said, and a sudden dread filled his stomach. "Cas, that flower, from the little girl, what color was it?"

"White," Cas answered immediately, narrowing his eyes at Dean. "You surely know that. I told you about its meaning in the car, apparently in too much detail, because you told me you'd shove the flower up my-"

"Thank God," Dean said, and he pulled Cas into a deep kiss, fingers tangled in Cas' hair.

When they broke apart, Dean moved over on the hospital bed to allow room for Cas to lay next to him. He did, cuddling up until his head rested softly on Dean's chest.

"Dean…what was your perfect world like?" Cas asked, and Dean stiffened.

Cas began to slowly move his hand over Dean's shirt, attempting to calm him.

"You don't have to tell me anything, it's fine," he said, and Dean sighed.

"It was pretty damn awesome," he said. "Ten years into the future. Sam and Anna had two little kids, and they called us Uncle Dean and Uncle Cas. Even Malpirgi was there."

Cas smiled into Dean's shirt.

"It doesn't sound terrible."

"That's because it wasn't. There weren't any monsters. Mom died in a house fire, Dad of a heart attack. Everyone had normal lives, even you and me. We worked for some stupid company, but we were happy. Really happy, apparently. Married, too."

"And you didn't stay? You had everything you've ever wanted."

Dean took in the feeling of warmth with Cas sprawled nearly on top of him, the movement of his hand on his chest, the smell of something sweet in his hair.

"Not everything."

Dean squeezed Cas a little tighter, and felt himself relax.

"What name am I registered under, anyway?" he asked Cas.

"Not yours, don't worry. I know your habit of using rock names, so you are currently Mr. Freddie Mercury," Cas said seriously.

Dean burst out laughing.

"They believed that? And who are _you_?"

"I am Steven Tyler."

Dean laughed so hard he was afraid he may pass out again.

"Jesus, get your stuff. We're checking out of here before we've got every cop in this county checking into us."

"You can't go yet! What if you get sick again?" Cas asked, sitting up, and Dean shrugged.

"Then you take me to another hospital, and give a different name this time. But I'm telling you, man, I'm fine. Let's just get the hell out of here and get back to Bobby's."

"I'm in no rush," Cas said quietly. "I have somewhere I want to take you."

"What, like a vacation? Dude, we just had a few days off at the cabin," Dean said.

"Trust me, Dean. We will take a few days to get there and rest until I am sure you're healthy, but I want to do this for you."

Dean looked at Cas, _his_ Cas, eyes alight with something akin to excitement.

"Alright, Cas baby. Let me call Bobby and tell him what went down, and we can go on your roadtrip. But first, we get the hell out of here. And on the way, I'm giving you a list of better rock star names."

**A/N I thought about letting Dean run around for an entire chapter believing Cas was dead, but I couldn't do it to him, and I couldn't do it to you! Now…where could Cas be taking Dean? Oh, there is so much fluff and smut in the near future…**


	10. Chapter 10

Dean and Cas drove for four hours south until Cas declared it too much work for Dean, and demanded they find a hotel for the night.

"I've been in worse shape, you know. Guts ripped out, all that fun stuff. I can handle driving a few hours," Dean said, but Cas silenced him with a look.

"There's still four more hours to go, and you're far too tired to do it today," Cas said, and he even had Dean sit in the car while he went in to pay for their room in a cheap motel.

Dean didn't want to admit it, but as soon as his body fell onto the bed, he realized exactly how tired he was. The next thing he knew, the sun was shining through the window, and he was feeling remarkably better, his arm thrown around Cas' middle.

"Did I sleep all night?" Dean asked Cas, then glanced down at his own body. "And where are my shoes and pants?"

"They looked uncomfortable, so I removed them," Cas said with a yawn before stretching and sitting up. "Are you able to drive?"

"Yes, Cas. Don't worry so much."

"It's what people in love do, Dean."

Dean's pulse increased. He'd never get used to that, and he never wanted to. It should always feel this good.

Cas packed up quickly, and he and Dean were back on the road within minutes, only stopping for greasy breakfast burritos for breakfast and some pizza for lunch. By three, they had rolled into Anaheim, California, and Cas pointed Dean downtown to a hotel.

"Dude…we can't afford this place," Dean said, whistling through his teeth at the impressive building.

"It's just for two nights. I asked Bobby what he thought about coming to this city, and he advised we not stay in a cheap motel, unless we wished to be murdered by humans instead of monsters. He claimed this to be our engagement gift."

"That's damn nice of him. What are we doing here, anyway?" Dean asked.

"The main surprise is tomorrow, but we have plans tonight as well. Let's go see our room," Cas said, and he and Dean parked in the reserved parking for guests, and lugged their duffel bags into the lobby.

Dean's first thought was that he should let Cas book hotels from then on. An unused stone fireplace sat in one corner of the massive room, the gray bricks of its mantle forming a shelf where dozens of books rested, waiting to be read. Comfy, plush chairs decorated the seating area, and a dining hall sat off to one side through double glass doors. He and Cas walked to the front desk.

"Good afternoon," a young woman said in a friendly voice. "How may I help you?"

"Yes, we have a reservation under the names Dean and Cas Smith," Cas said, and Dean was relieved that he had given them a common, if predictable, last name.

"Ah, yes," the woman said with a grin. "Top floor, room 723. Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you," Cas said, and he took the key cards from her gently before loading onto the elevator with Dean.

"What was she smiling so big about?" Dean asked out loud.

"I believe as hostess, her job is to be friendly," Cas said, but Dean wasn't convinced.

The reason became apparent when they noticed the plaque outside their room that read _Honeymoon Suite_.

"Dammit, Bobby," Dean said under his breath, and he and Cas opened the door to go inside, where any embarrassment toward his father figure evaporated.

The space was huge, made up of four separate rooms. To their left, Dean and Cas could see a sitting area with similar plush couches to the ones in the lobby, and a large television. On their right was the kitchen area, complete with a working stove and full size refrigerator. Dean made a mental note to see if it was stocked.

They progressed further up a small hallway, and were met with a door on the right. Dean opened it and flipped on the light switch to reveal an enormous bathroom with a walk in shower and, on the far end, a lavish stone tub with room enough for four grown men, complete with built in water jets. Dean and Cas backed out of the bathroom, closing the door behind them, and continued down to the end of the hall, which opened up into a large room.

"Holy shit," Dean said, and Cas couldn't help but want to agree.

The bedroom was open and peaceful, with a king size bed against one wall and a ceiling fan above it, hanging down from an arched ceiling. An oak dresser sat against the wall opposite of the bed, another television on top of it. Elegant white curtains hung over a window, blocking out much of the light and leaving the room bathed in an ethereal glow. There was a note on the bed, along with a bucket full of ice and a bottle of wine. Dean picked up the note and read it aloud.

"Congratulations on your engagement. If you need anything, please call the front desk. Thank you for choosing us for your special occasion."

"Are you tired?" Cas asked, when Dean ran his hand through his hair.

"No, just…this is perfect. I'm going to owe Bobby a bottle of whiskey for this."

"That sounds reasonable. Get your things ready to go, though. We have plans," Cas said, and he tugged off his shirt to put on a fresh one from his bag. "Wear something comfortable."

"Why? What are we doing?" Dean asked, but he followed suit and dressed in a t-shirt as well, even when Cas didn't answer.

Thirty minutes later, when he pulled into a sandy parking area, Dean began to have his suspicions about what Cas had planned. Dean followed Cas into a sand-washed wooden store, and Cas bought a small container of worms and some frozen squid, and paid a rental fee for two sturdy fishing poles. Cas thanked the cashier, then he and Dean walked through the other side of the store, where Dean saw a long and weathered pier jutting out into the ocean.

Cas took Dean by the hand, and they both walked out onto the pier, all the way to the end, and sat on an old bench that creaked under their combined weight. The ocean surrounded them on three sides, and the sun glinted off of it in the afternoon light.

The only other people on the pier were old fishermen, and one tiny boy, who seemed to have come with his grandfather. Dean managed to teach Cas how to cast, and they were sitting quietly on the bench, hands clasped and poles resting against the frame of the pier, when the little boy came up.

"Hi, I'm Nathan," he said, and settled himself on Dean's right side without further ado.

"Hey, Nathan," Dean grinned down at him, then cast a look over his shoulder to see Nathan's grandfather smiling at them. "You here to help me fish?"

"Yup," Nathan said, his feet swinging as he talked. "Your friend casts funny. Why are you holding his hand?"

"He's, uh-" Dean began.

"'Cause I only ever see my dad hold hands with my mom. Are you two daddies? Where's your baby?"

"We don't have a-"

"You're in love, right? My mommy and daddy are too. It's gross. They kiss and everything. Do you two kiss?"

"Sometimes, yeah-"

"Ew, you get cooties that way," Nathan said. "You got a fish."

Sure enough, Cas' fishing pole was bending over. Cas jumped up, unsure of what to do. Dean leapt up as well and pulled the pole back to set the hook before handing it to Cas to reel in. Cas fought with the contraption, but finally pulled in a hideous fish.

"A stingray! Cool!" Nathan said. "Grandpa, look!"

Nathan's grandfather came over, and eyed the catch.

"Good size, but useless," he said. "Has Nathan been bothering you? Boy's got a mouth on him."

"Not at all," Cas said. "What do I do with this?"

"Throw it back. Nathan, we need to get going. I told your Momma I'd have you back thirty minutes ago."

"Yes, sir," Nathan said, and he followed his grandfather down the pier. "Bye! Oh, wait a second grandpa!"

Nathan shot back up the pier and put one hand on Dean's arm and the other on Cas'. He did a motion with his hands while he chanted a familiar rhyme.

"Circle, circle, dot, dot. Now you've got your cootie shot. Circle, circle, square, square. Now you've got it everywhere! Now you're safe. Bye!"

He ran back toward his grandfather, and Cas squinted his eyes at his arm.

"I don't understand. Did I just get inoculated?"

Dean laughed.

"No, Cas baby. Cooties aren't real, or we'd be covered in them."

Dean and Cas returned to fishing, catching a few more stingrays, and relaxed for a few hours. Cas caught a crab at one point, and though Dean said he should cut it up and use it as bait, Cas instead dropped it as gently as he could back into the water.

"What'd you do that for?" Dean asked. "Crabs catch fish, you know."

"I don't intend to eat what I catch. It seemed cruel to kill something in order to catch a fish for my entertainment, not survival."

"You're never going to stop being an angel, are you?" Dean asked, nudging him with his elbow.

Cas frowned.

"I'm no longer an angel," he said, confused.

"You'll always be one to me," Dean said, and Cas smiled at him.

They passed some more time fishing in silence before the sun dipped low into the sky, and Dean looked at his watch to see it was nearing seven.

"Time to go," Cas said, and Dean stretched to stand.

"I'm starving," Dean said, as he and Cas gathered up the supplies to return to the rental shop.

"That is our next stop," Cas said.

Dean and Cas turned in their things and settled back into the car. Cas lay his head back against the seat, eyes closed, and Dean was momentarily reminded of the horrifying image of him sprawled out in his arms, dead. It caused a pain to shoot through his chest. He didn't want to think of Cas as dead. He'd experienced that enough. Quietly, he reached out and entwined their fingers together, and Cas opened his eyes.

"Is everything okay?" Cas asked worriedly.

"Yeah, Cas baby. Everything is perfect."


End file.
